This Company Wants You to Network Instead of Sending Your Resume. Would You Apply?
We know that the job search can be an exhausting process. If you’re applying to jobs online, you often wonder if the organization received your materials, read them, and if you have a chance. Does the process have to be so anonymous and transactional?
Well, to make the job search less transactional and more interactive, last week Zappos announced that it would no longer use job descriptions to hire. Instead, according to the Wall Street Journal, candidates will have to join Zappos Insiders where, “they will network with current employees and demonstrate their passion for the company—in some cases publicly—in hopes that recruiters will tap them when jobs come open.” Instead of going through thousands of resumes (Zappos received over 31,000 for just 300 spots last year), recruiters will host events, Q&As, and contests on social media to see if candidates are a good fit.
Needless to say, there were quite a few challenges, concerns, and celebrations.
Stacy Donovan Zapar, Social Recruiting and Employer Branding at Zappos followed up on LinkedIn to clarify the new approach. Here is an excerpt of her piece:
"Is the Zappos Insider program a social network?
No. It’s definitely NOT a social network… it’s simply our new Zappos Careers page where you sign up, submit your resume or LinkedIn profile (so we can consider you for relevant openings as they become available) and gain access to Zappos employees and additional information. You also get a point person / Team Ambassador (a real, living breathing person with a name, face and contact info for asking questions… pretty cool and unique, huh?), get introduced to real employees on your team and have lots of new ways to get to know us (and for us to get to know you), if you so choose. But that last part’s certainly not a requirement or prerequisite. No jumping-through-hoops or three ring circuses here…
To sum it all up, we’re being proactive and spending our time talking to folks about current / future openings rather than spending it sending tons of rejection letters about past openings. Much better use of our time, more forward-thinking focus and a much better candidate experience, if you ask us!"
On the one hand, this could be a great way for people (recruiters AND candidates) to determine if there’s a good fit. Additionally, for a company as large as Zappos which is often hiring, being able to tap a pool of potential candidates can be helpful. That being said, I would love to learn more about timeline; it seems like a drawn out process. How long are candidates expected to wait to be engaged and hired?
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by Allison Jones